


These Old Familiar Rooms

by Sokkas_First_Fangirl



Series: I Lay My Life Before You [14]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: (that would be Roger and Freddie), Alpha Brian, Alpha Roger Taylor (Queen), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Arguing, Best Friends, Beta John, Don't copy to another site, Dysfunctional Family, Embarrassment, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Drama, Family Issues, Friendship, Gen, Meet the Family, Omega Discrimination, Omega Freddie Mercury, Omega Verse, Pack Dynamics, Pissing off your old fashioned family: Freddie and Roger addition, Platonic Kissing, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Protective Roger Taylor (Queen), Sexism, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 18:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20440700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokkas_First_Fangirl/pseuds/Sokkas_First_Fangirl
Summary: Roger already knew the Bulsaras were traditional; they believed an Omega belonged at home, not on stage. He knew Freddie had run away from an arranged marriage when he was seventeen. He knew they couldn't quite understand why Freddie didn't want the same things as them.But when Freddie's extended family arrive in London, he finds out just how strict they really are.(Otherwise known as the Queen boys meet Freddie's extended family. It goes about as well as you'd expect: that is, not well at all.)





	These Old Familiar Rooms

**Author's Note:**

> My friend's funeral was yesterday, so...that's it I guess. There were so many people that we couldn't all fit in the church; I managed to hold it together until they played "You'll Be In My Heart" as they carried his coffin out. It'll be a while until I can listen to that song again.
> 
> This was meant to be Roger's next chapter in "Keep On Rocking" but hey-ho, it got out of control. His next chapter will be the aftermath of this instead.  
Hope you enjoy ❤

**November, 1974** **  
** ** _“What you gonna do? What you gonna do? What you gonna do to take me out? You are the liar, I am the fire. (Out) Are you gonna take me out? You are the liar, I am the fire.” -Take Me Out, _ ** **Emma Blackery**

Freddie came back from his parents’ house looking rather pale.

“They...Kind of invited everyone over,” he said weakly. “As in my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins- _ everyone. _ ” He ran his hands through his hair; you’d have sworn he’d been handed a death sentence from the look on his face. “God, I don’t want to spend a whole evening listening to them all _ bitching _at me.”

“We’ll go with you,” Brian offered right away.

“Obviously we will,” Roger said. He knew by now that Freddie had a pretty large extended family; he doubted they’d all make it over from India, but he also knew that they were all stricter than Freddie’s parents. They actually thought Jer and Bomi went too easy on Freddie; it had been his grandfather’s idea to marry him off in the first place.

Roger would have to practice reigning his temper in. If any of them started ranting about an Omega’s “proper place” he’d lose it.

  
  
  
  


The four of them arrived at the Bulsara’s house on a Sunday afternoon. Jer answered the door, lighting up at the sight of them all.

“Oh, it’s lovely to see you all,” she said brightly; she hugged Freddie tightly, gave Roger a quick hug and shook Brian and Deacy’s hands. “Brian, Freddie tells me you’re studying to be a scientist?”

“Astrophysicist,” Brian corrected.

As Jer asked questions about what exactly that entailed, and asked Deacy about his own studies, Kashmira insisted on taking all their coats.

“Papa’s collecting Nanabapa and Nanami from the airport,” she explained. “Uncle Sepehr and Auntie Niesha on their way from the hotel; I think they have Namir with them at least; Laily’s too pregnant to travel right now. Anahita and Homa arrived last night.”

“Oh,” Freddie said, somewhat weakly. “Where are-?”

“They’re all staying in a hotel,” Kash said. “The only ones staying here and Nanabapa and Nanami.”

“And Bapuji and Baa?” Freddie asked; Roger honestly wasn’t too sure if those were names or titles, and he felt like an ass.

“Not coming,” Kash said. “Bapuji’s not well enough to fly.” She shrugged. “A lot of them can’t make it right now.”

“Thank God,” Freddie muttered. 

“Baa and Bapuji?” Roger asked. “Who’s that?”

“My papa’s parents,” Freddie said with a scowl. Understanding hit instantly. It was Bomi’s father who arranged that marriage to Dazmen.

“Ah,” Roger said stiffly. “Thank God is right.”

“You all get comfortable,” Jer said. If she’d heard any of that, she gave no indication. “I’ll just pop the kettle on. Kashi, dear, you help me.”

The boys all went to the living room; Deacy sat on the sofa, peering around curiously. It wasn’t a very big room; there was a small vase of flowers on the mantel and the carpet was frankly hideous- and curiously, next to one of the armchairs, an embroidered cushion had been left on the floor.

Freddie took one look at it and paled.

“Mama,” he called warily.

“Yes, darling?” She came back in; when she saw what Freddie was looking at she quickly said, “Oh no, baby, that’s not for you, it’s for Niesha.”

_ “What?” _Roger mouthed at Brian. He had no idea what Jer was talking about, but from the stiff expression on Brian’s face, he did- and although Freddie was noticeably relieved, he still didn’t look happy. He joined Deacy on the sofa almost warily, like he was expecting some sort of prank. Brian joined them, still frowning. Confused, Roger sat next to Freddie, automatically wrapping an arm around him. He had the increasing hunch that although Jer, Bomi and Kash knew the truth, it might be best to keep up the act around the rest of the family.

  
  
  


** _“I’ll never be what you want me to be. And what do you think you’d understand? I’m a boy, no, I’m a man. You can’t take me and throw me away. And how can you learn what’s never shown? Yeah, you stand here on your own. They don’t know me, ‘cause I’m not here. And I want a moment to be real, wanna touch things I don’t feel. Wanna hold on and feel I belong. And how can the world want me to change? They’re the ones that stay the same.” -I’m Still Here, _ ** **Goo Goo Dolls**

Soon enough, Bomi returned with an elderly couple in tow; a small Alpha woman who slouched and leaned heavily on a cane, and a rather skinny Beta man who’d lost most of his hair. The woman had the same big brown eyes as Jer, Freddie and Kashmira; the man had Freddie’s high cheekbones.

The woman’s eyes instantly brimmed with tears when she spotted Freddie.

“Oh, little one, come here,” she breathed, holding her arms out. Smiling shyly, Freddie went to hug her; the poor little woman was shaking.

“Hello, Nanami,” Freddie said, which caused her to sob. The old man was smiling, looking more than a little dazed. As soon as his wife released Freddie, he hugged him too, patting him on the back.

“Don’t you go scaring us like that,” he said, somewhat briskly. “Gave us all heart attacks.” He peered at the rest of them curiously. “Are you going to introduce us, child?” His eyes narrowed on the mark on Freddie’s neck, and his gaze slowly went to Roger. “I imagine we’ve much to discuss, hm?”

“Er…” Roger stood up and awkwardly offered his hand. “I’m Roger Taylor, Freddie’s boyfriend.”

The old man eyed him suspiciously.

“I told you Freddie had a boyfriend, Papa, remember?” Jer said.

“Hm…” He shook Roger’s hand, still looking unimpressed. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Kaveh, Farrokh’s grandfather.” Freddie rolled his eyes at his birth name. His grandmother tottered forward to shake Roger’s hand; she didn’t look unimpressed like her husband, but she eyed Roger like he was a curious new species of animal.

“I’m Pouri, dear,” she said. “Lovely to meet you.” She peered around him to stare at Brian and Deacy. “Are these more friends of yours, Farrokh?”

Freddie noticeably took a deep breath.

“It’s Freddie, Nanami, remember?” 

She only continued to look at Brian and Deacy; Freddie sighed in defeat and began the introductions.

  
  
  
  


Meeting Anahita and Homa passed without incident; Anahita was Freddie and Kashmira’s cousin; Homa was her wife, and both of them were Betas in their forties. Anahita happily informed them that she was Bomi’s eldest niece, daughter of his older brother.

They were both perfectly lovely, but Roger’s confusion only grew; the two women raised their eyebrows when Freddie sat next to him; they both eyed the cushion on the floor. Pouri and Kaveh had done the same; Pouri even shook her head and tutted. Freddie flushed bright pink when she did. He glanced warily at Roger and the others. When he caught his grandparent’s eyes, he ducked his head; he kept folding his hands in his lap. He looked furious with himself when he did, instantly unfolding them and clenching them into fists instead, raising his head.

And then the doorbell rang; Freddie tensed, leaning further against Roger. Bomi answered the door, and Roger could hear him speaking to someone in rapid Gujarati. 

He came back with an Alpha man somewhere in his early to mid fifties, closely followed by an Omega woman in her mid forties and an Alpha man in his early twenties. The older man closely resembled Bomi; he was a little taller, a little leaner, but he had the same imposing frown. He wore a grey suit with a diamond tie-pin, and stood with his hands behind his back, with some of the most perfect posture Roger had ever come across. Even just standing there, the man managed to appear graceful.

The Omega woman was wearing some of the most beautiful clothes Roger had ever seen; a long pink tunic with a silver border, leggings in a deeper pink and silver and pearl-grey sandals. She wore bangles similar to the ones Freddie sometimes wore, and had a ring on almost every finger; to top it all off, she wore a pale silver veil that skimmed the floor, hiding almost all of her hair.

The younger Alpha man had the woman’s dark green eyes, but other than that he looked very much like Bomi and the other man; his hair was tightly curled and he wore a suit too; black, with a black shirt and tie. He looked formal, but rather like he was attending a funeral. However, he smiled cheerfully enough, thanking Kashmira when she offered to take his suit jacket.

They could only be Sepehr, Niesha and Namir; Bomi’s brother, sister-in-law and nephew.

“Good to see you, my dear,” Sepehr said, embracing Jer. Roger’s initial assessment proved correct; he walked with an easy grace that Roger envied. He looked _ powerful, _ weirdly enough. He just _ looked _important somehow. He hugged his family members, patting Anahita on the shoulder.

Then he spotted Freddie. Roger expected him to look delighted, as the rest of the family had done.

His smile vanished.

“Bomi, brother, what is this?” he demanded. “I would have thought you’d learned your lesson in letting him run wild after last time!”

“He’s hardly running wild,” Bomi said tiredly.

“Why isn’t he kneeling?” Sepehr demanded. He gestured to Freddie furiously. “And _ what _is that on his neck?”

“Kneeling?” Roger asked. Freddie ducked his head again, hands folding and unfolding in his lap. Deacy looked as confused as Roger felt, but Brian went red.

“I told you about Roger,” Bomi said. He sounded impatient, and looked it too; he folded his arms, glaring his brother down. “This is Farrokh’s Alpha and these are his friends, Brian May and John Deacon.” 

Sepehr looked at them all suspiciously. Niesha kept her head bowed; Namir appeared uncomfortable, reaching out for his mother’s hand- but it looked like he was comforting her, not the other way around.

Sepehr turned away from them to eye Freddie up and down. He nodded tersely. “You look well,” he admitted begrudgingly. “I trust you’ve sufficiently apologised to your parents for what you put them through?”

Freddie nodded. Roger wanted to punch the older Alpha as hard as he could. Who the hell did he think he was talking to?

“Sepehr,” Bomi said warningly; Jer frowned up at him. Even Pouri and Kaveh didn’t look impressed.

Thankfully Namir smiled at Freddie and held his arms out; “Get over here already,” he said. With obvious relief, Freddie went to his cousin, letting the man fuss over him. Niesha smiled sweetly, tucking Freddie’s hair back off his face.

But Sepehr still didn’t look impressed.

“Is that the proper way to greet an Alpha?” he demanded- and _ finally, _Roger could see some of the usual fire in Freddie’s eyes. He rounded on his uncle furiously.

“Yes,” he said stiffly, head held high. “It is.”

Silence reigned. Sepehr flushed red, fists clenched; a muscle in his jaw twitched. “You should be kneeling,” he snarled.

_ What? _

“No, I don’t think I should, Uncle,” Freddie said calmly. 

“Papa, leave it,” Namir said tiredly- but Sepehr, growling, grabbed Freddie by the arm; he jerked Freddie forward so harshly that Freddie stumbled and nearly fell. Instantly, Roger and Brian were on their feet, both of them snarling. Bomi stormed forward and pulled Freddie out of Sepehr’s grasp.

“Get away from my child,” Bomi growled. Roger usually found him imposing, but now he looked outright frightening.

“He should show respect!”

“You are in my home,” Bomi’s voice was ice cold. “_ You _ should show respect. You are the _ younger _ brother, you are a _ guest _ in my home. We are celebrating my son’s safety, now _ sit down and keep quiet, Sepehr. _”

Freddie looked shocked by Bomi’s defence. Roger wondered if Bomi had ever done so before.

_ Everyone _looked shocked. Homa huffed, folding her arms. Kaveh coughed awkwardly, looking at the ceiling. 

“Freddie, come here,” Roger said quietly. Freddie instantly ran to him and Roger held him tightly against his chest, one hand tangling in Freddie’s hair; he glared at Sepehr over the top of Freddie’s head. Brian’s teeth were still bared in a snarl; warily, Deacy stood up, edging closer to Roger and Freddie.

Meanwhile, Bomi and his brother were locked in a staredown; fury radiated off them both.

They were snapped out of it when Pouri huffed and said, “For pity’s sake, Sepehr, would you ever sit down? We don’t want Farrokh’s Alpha and friends to think we’re all temperamental brutes, now do we?” 

In the face of the elderly Alpha’s annoyance, Sepehr admitted defeat. He sat in the free armchair; Niesha lowered herself onto the cushion next to it. She spread her veil over her legs; she bowed her head and folded her hands in her lap.

It was how Freddie sat when he was nervous; it was how he sat when there was too much yelling going on. It was how he’d sat last year, when he tricked Sheffield and Foster into thinking they’d frightened him into submission.

It was how he’d kept sitting since they’d arrived; it was how he kept forcing himself to _ not _sit.

_ “I’ll just do what they taught me at school,” _he had said last year. 

Roger had been confused by all this, but Brian had instantly looked furious; Brian had _ known, _ Roger realised. Was _ this _seriously what Freddie had been taught? That he wasn’t even allowed to sit on the furniture? 

Warily, Roger watched Niesha; she kept her head bowed, she only spoke when spoken to. Even then, if she was asked a yes or no question, she only nodded or shook her head. She was quiet as a mouse. 

No one seemed to find it odd; Freddie made an effort to catch her eyes, but didn’t manage it. Niesha kept her eyes firmly on the floor. To everyone else bar her son, it was almost like she wasn’t there; Namir sat close to her, sometimes reaching down to rest his hand on her shoulder. But other than that, and the occasional comment thrown her way, no one took any notice of her.

And although Freddie was the cause for this gathering, even Anahita directed most of her questions about Freddie’s health and safety to Roger.

_ No wonder he ran, _Roger thought. He’d always assumed it had been simple; Freddie hadn’t wanted to marry Dazmen. Dazmen had been condescending and controlling, he’d talked to Freddie like he was stupid, had treated him like a pretty little doll. Freddie had told them that Dazmen would have been allowed to do whatever he wanted to Freddie; that Freddie would have had no say in anything, that they didn’t even need Freddie’s consent for the wedding. Dazmen had been an adult, Freddie had been a teenager.

He’d assumed that had been it.

But now he was wondering if there was more to it. Jer and Bomi had treated Freddie like he was helpless and fragile; they’d frequently ignored him. But if Sepehr was anything to go by, no wonder Freddie had run away. If _ this _was how he could expect to be treated, then Roger was surprised he hadn’t run away sooner.

_ You don’t deserve him, _ he thought as he looked around. Maybe they _ did _love Freddie, but they all spent ages telling him how foolish and reckless he’d been; they emphasised how he’d disappointed and embarrassed them all. They informed him that Dazmen was married with children, as if he was meant to care. No one yelled, but they spoke as if Freddie was a particularly difficult child.

“It was a good match,” Sepehr said impatiently. “The Yazadis are a good family.”

“Well, Farrokh has found a new match,” Kaveh said; he still looked at Roger dubiously, but he didn’t seem so disapproving now. 

It was the mark on Freddie’s neck that seemed to cause the most outrage, just as it had with Jer and Bomi.

“I hope you’ve not done anything foolish, little one,” Pouri said, sipping her tea.

“No, Nanami.”

Sepehr was more straightforward; “Are you still a virgin, Farrokh?”

_ “Sepehr!” _Bomi and Jer both snarled. Deacy went pink, clapping a hand over his mouth. Brian looked seconds away from shouting. Roger’s grip on Freddie’s waist tightened as he struggled with the urge to just get Freddie out of here and take him home.

Freddie glared at his uncle; he’d been embarrassed when his parents asked, but now he just looked fed up.

“Yes,” he lied. 

“At least you’re not entirely soiled.”

“I’ll start dinner,” Jer said abruptly. “Kashi, Freddie, will you help, my dears? _ Now? _” Her children followed her into the kitchen; Bomi snarled at his brother.

“Sepehr,” he said lowly. “Upstairs. Now.”

Even with the living room door closed, even though they went upstairs, even with the clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen, they could all clearly hear Bomi and Sepehr yelling at each other.

“I promise we’re not normally like this,” Namir said weakly.

Roger wasn’t sure he believed him.

  
  
  
  


Dinner was tense; the food was delicious, but it seemed no one knew what to say now. Roger wanted to scream when Niesha knelt by her husband on that embroidered cushion again; Sepehr frowned when Freddie sat next to Roger, but mercifully stayed silent.

Bomi looked pointedly at his brother; Sepehr sighed heavily and said, “I apologise for yelling, Farrokh.”

Freddie was quiet. He took a long sip of his water before he muttered, “Apology accepted,” though it didn’t sound like he meant it.

Roger wanted nothing more than to grab his boys and leave; he wanted to go home and get away from this. He wanted to yell that Freddie wasn’t an embarrassment; he wanted to tell them that Freddie was _ clever, _ and _ brave. _

“I hope you’re taking good care of him, Roger,” Pouri said brightly. 

For a moment he was torn. Should he say that Freddie could take care of himself? Or would that just cause another argument? 

He settled for saying, “I hope so.”

“He is,” Bomi said, to Roger’s shock. Jer nodded in agreement.

“Very good care of him,” she said sweetly. Oddly enough, Roger appreciated it; he couldn’t lie and said he had a high opinion of them. He still wanted to take them to task for trying to marry Freddie off so young (or at all), so it was a surprise to realise they actually seemed to _ like _him.

That seemed to be good enough for the rest of them; Freddie’s grandparents finally looked approving. Namir inclined his head with a friendly smile. Roger glanced down and saw Niesha noticeably relax.

Under the table, Freddie squeezed his hand; he smiled up at him through his hair, looking vaguely apologetic. As everyone else got caught up in some debate or another, Roger leaned in to whisper in Freddie’s ear, “Who’d have thought _ you _were the least dramatic?”

Freddie barely managed to disguise his laugh as a cough; he bit his lip and almost immediately pressed a hand over his mouth.

When Roger looked up, Sepehr was looking at him curiously. 

  
  
  


** _“Memories, good days, bad days, they'll be with me always. In these old familiar rooms, children would play. Now there's only emptiness, nothing to say. Knowing me, knowing you (aah), there is nothing we can do.” -Knowing Me, Knowing You, _ ** **ABBA**

After dinner, Roger nipped into the back garden for a smoke. Needless to say, he was shocked when Sepehr joined him.

“Bomi tells me you’ve been with Farrokh for a year?” 

“I’ve been with _ Freddie _for a year,” Roger said, unable to keep the impatience out of his voice. 

“I can’t believe he still insists on being called that,” Sepehr said, rolling his eyes. “Well, I just wanted to say that you- well, you seem like a nice young man.”

“Thank you,” Roger said, blinking in surprise. Did he seriously just hear that? Considering Sepehr’s attitude so far, he’d have expected the older Alpha to hate him on principle.

“Yes, well...If you don’t mind me saying so, I hope you know what you’re getting into. Farrokh’s always been a wild little thing, but he seems to have gotten worse.” Sepehr’s eyes narrowed. “You can be a little more forceful with him, you know. He’s never understood an Omega’s proper place.”

“On his knees,” Roger said coldly. “Right?”

He meant it as an insult, but Sepehr nodded approvingly. “Now you’re getting it. I know things are...different in this country, but we don’t encourage...deviance. He’s my nephew, I assure you I want what’s best for him. He’s pure, I’d rather you keep it that way until marriage, you understand? If he’s to be a good husband and father then you need to take him in hand. Omegas...They’re _ fragile. _They’re not as clever as us, they need guidance.”

“Freddie’s one of the smartest people I know,” Roger snapped, finally out of patience. He threw his cigarette to the ground and stomped on it, dearly wishing he could do the same to Sepehr’s face. “He’s brave, he’s _ so _ fucking brave and you have _ no clue. _” He glared at the other Alpha, pleased to see him flinch back. “I swore to never leave him; I swore to protect him no matter what comes our way. I’ll protect him from you too if I have to.”

He stormed back inside, leaving Sepehr and his ugly opinions behind.

Inside, he went straight to Freddie and swept him up in his arms, lifting him clear off the floor and spinning him around.

_ “Rog, put me down!” _

Roger set him down, keeping his hands on Freddie’s hips. Freddie was laughing, the most relaxed he’d been since they got here. 

And Roger wanted to ruffle some feathers. He tapped Freddie’s hip three times; Freddie nodded minutely and Roger bent to kiss him. He kept one hand on Freddie’s hip to pull him closer; the other tangled in Freddie’s hair.

Deacy wolf-whistled. Homa snorted in amusement; Kaveh muttered, “Well, I _ never. _”

When Roger finally let Freddie go he nearly laughed at the shock on Pouri and Namir’s faces; Anahita just looked confused, like she wasn’t sure what she was looking at. Kashmira was giggling; Brian shook his head, grinning.

Roger caught Jer’s eye; to his mounting surprise, she smiled, nearly as amused as her daughter.

But his main concern, as always, was Freddie. He finally looked like _ himself, _grinning openly, eyes shining, mischief radiating from him.

“We’ll head home soon, yeah?” Roger asked, quietly enough that the others couldn’t hear. Freddie nodded, resting his head on Roger’s shoulder.

  
  
  
  


When they finally left, at nearly eleven at night, they were all exhausted.

“God, I’m sorry about them,” Freddie said, as soon as they’d piled into the van. He looked mortified. “I told you it’d be bad, I’m sorry, darlings.”

“_You’ve _got nothing to be sorry about,” Brian said firmly. “If anything, I reckon your bastard of an uncle should be embarrassed.”

“He got very quiet,” Deacy said. “After dinner, I mean. He just...Stopped talking.”

“Hm, funny that,” Roger said lightly.

“What did you do?” the other three demanded in unison. They knew him too well.

“Nothing,” Roger insisted.

“Roger.” Freddie was frowning at him. _ “What did you do?” _

“I told him that I’d promised to protect you,” Roger said, looking back to the road. “Told him I’d protect you from him too if I had to.”

“_Christ, _Rog,” Deacy sighed- but Freddie’s eyes softened.

“You don’t have to,” he said for the millionth time.

“Well, I _ want _to,” Roger answered for the millionth time.

“I’m sorry you have to put up with that shit, Fred,” Brian added. “Really, I am. It’s not fair.”

“But I don’t,” Freddie said, surprisingly cheerful. He looked around at them all, beaming. “I have you three.”

Deacy immediately softened, reaching forward to squeeze Freddie’s shoulder; Brian grinned, leaning against Deacy.

“Yeah,” Roger said. “You do.” 

_ You always will. I promise. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
** _“You gotta step into the daylight, and let it go. Just let it go. Let it go. I wanna be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate. Not the things I'm afraid of (I'm afraid of), the things that haunt me in the middle of the night, I...I just think that you are what you love…” -Daylight, _ ** **Taylor Swift**

**Author's Note:**

> I've always said the rest of Freddie's family think Jer and Bomi are too easy on him. Sepehr is the extreme; he's very much like his and Bomi's father. If he had his way Freddie would have to formally apologise to them all and kneel on the floor the whole time.  
Although a few Omegas have married into the family here and there (such as Niesha) Freddie is the only Omega child; the rest are all Alphas and Betas.
> 
> Name meanings:  
Pouri: a successor  
Kaveh: a character in Shahnameh  
Sepehr: sky  
Namir: swift cat  
Anahita: immaculate, goddess of water  
Homa: phoenix, rising, good omen  
Niehsa: pure


End file.
